Re-posting this announcement so that no one misses it, and to add a couple more options. You may write about any two items from the long list below: NEW – Recommended (video): “Crosby Stills Nash Young – Teach Your Children – War Video,” YouTube (uploaded April 2008). I recently stumbled upon this video, a remarkable […]

You may write about any two items from the long list below: Paul Mason on global youth protest, “Towards a Politics of Solidarity,” Opening Plenary, Left Forum, 3/18/2011. “Dubstep Rebellion – The British Banlieue Comes to Millbank,” (Paul Mason) BBC Newsnight, 12/9/1010. * Interview with Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine, […]

Since we’ll continue to discuss issues and themes from last week, there’s still an opportunity to blog about some of the material from last week. Choose two items from the list below. “Everyone’s missing the point” (Barry Lando) Truthdig, 5/3/10. This is an opinion piece, from a political blog, that ties together a number of […]

Hebah Ahmed and Mona Eltahawy, both Muslim women, debate France’s decision to ban face veils (niqabs) in public. As Ahsana suggested, this debate is probably a better one than the shouting match from BBC Newsnight that I showed in class. Both positions are laid out more clearly here. (Actually, I will admit I found Ramadan’s […]

Part I of the final will be the same as the midterm — you choose 7 out of 10 key terms (full set provided on review sheet; generally indicated on slides by bold italics). Part II will be a set of questions based on the required material from the second half of the course. You […]

This special program on Al Jazeera English features an in-depth, wide-raging discussion among regional experts on the present and future of terrorism in the Greater Middle East. They consider the nature and reach of al-Qaeda and contrast it with the Taliban. Panelists compare OBL’s rhetoric and reality, finding that despite OBL’s rhetorical references, al-Qaeda never […]

New details on the OBL operation continue to emerge, and the White House is revising its original narrative of events. (Guardian: “Osama bin Laden’s final moments: America changes its story –The US has backtracked on claims that Osama bin Laden died in a firefight and used his wife as a human shield”) Does it matter? […]

The schedule has been revised to reflect where we actually are (one class behind). Since some students are behind in their blog postings, I’ve added the option of posting during the break — Tuesday, April 26th. If you would like to post, please select two items from the list below: April 28 – Case study: […]

“It is a question asked repeatedly across America: why, in the aftermath of a financial mess that generated hundreds of billions in losses, have no high-profile participants in the disaster been prosecuted?” Gretchen Morgenson and Louise Story investigate the reasons why and provide a list of specific crimes that could form the basis of charges […]

As discussed in class, Bradley Manning, the US Army soldier charged with leaking classified government documents to WikiLeaks, has been detained for nine months in a military brig. Over the last month, the chorus of international and domestic critics condemning the conditions of Manning’s detention has grown. As The Guardian reported earlier this week, a […]

Here’s the “Takeaway” interview with the former nanny I mentioned in class: ‘Nanny lit’ may have turned heads years ago in the publishing world, but there’s a new voice — and a new book — getting people excited about the genre. Trinidadian immigrant Victoria Brown worked as a nanny on the Upper East Side, and she […]

Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize winner in economics and former Chief Economist of the World Bank, writes in May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair: Americans have been watching protests against oppressive regimes that concentrate massive wealth in the hands of an elite few. Yet in our own democracy, 1 percent of the people take nearly a […]

Watch this recent (25 min) edition of the news program, ‘Inside Story’ on Al Jazeera English and do a blog posting for credit (towards the 5 req’d posts). Posts should integrate at least one other item from the course (text, audio, or video) and are due by April 3rd. From Al Jazeera English: In an […]